Press Releases
July 20, 2018
Washington, DC — Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and city Solicitor Andre M. Davis today announced a lawsuit against oil and gas companies like ExxonMobil for knowingly producing products that caused climate change, more frequent and extreme heat waves, droughts and heavy precipitation. You can find the complaint here.
Baltimore’s lawsuit, which comes just hours after New York City’s lawsuit was dismissed by a federal court in New York makes it clear that efforts to hold climate polluters accountable are still gaining momentum.
Below you’ll find a statement from Richard Wiles, Executive Director of the Center for Climate Integrity, in response to the news:
“Baltimore’s filing is the next in a growing wave of climate liability lawsuits. We expect that communities across the country will continue to seek remedies in the courts to ensure that climate polluters, not taxpayers, pay the massive costs of climate adaptation.
“Taxpayers in Baltimore can no longer afford to foot the bill for damages knowingly caused by climate polluters, nor should they have to.
“The catastrophic impacts of climate change predicted by companies like Exxon decades ago have arrived. It’s only fitting then that the wave of lawsuits the industry have long feared and planned for have as well. The people of Baltimore deserve their day in court.”